Education Mission

The Education Department at the New-York Historical Society offers a wealth of resources and learning opportunities designed to make history come alive!

Education programs are made possible through endowments established by the National Endowment for the Humanities and The Hearst Foundations. Public funds are provided by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council, the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

The New-York Historical Society is grateful to the generous supporters of its educational initiatives, including the New York Life Foundation, the Emilie Davie and Joseph S. Kornfeld Foundation, the Barker Welfare Foundation, Goldman Sachs Gives, The Macy’s Foundation, The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, The Joseph C. and Clare F. Goodman Memorial Foundation, The Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation, The Angela and Scott Jaggar Foundation, The C. Jay Moorhead Foundation, and The William T. Morris Foundation.

Explore all the New-York Historical Society-created curriculum materials, which align with New York State Learning Standards and contain lesson plans and primary sources (documents, photos, maps and more). Materials are available digitally and/or for purchase in hard copy, as indicated in the list below.

AIDS in New York: The First Five Years examines the AIDS epidemic from 1980 to 1985 and explores the fear and hysteria that followed the AIDS outbreak. The exhibition highlights the power of fear and the frustration felt by those affected by AIDS as well as the steps taken to find treatment and a cure and provide support. AIDS in New York: The First Five Years tells the story of AIDS through artifacts and photographs that capture the immense grief felt by affected communities; news broadcasts desperate to give any information; advertisements for events organized by grassroots groups demanding attention; and much more.

Learn about the disease in our Science Behind AIDS section and explore the energy in New York City at the beginning of the health crisis through the photographs, audio clips, and life stories in our Sights and Sounds section.

Get to know New York’s favorite Founding Father Alexander Hamilton: a statesman and visionary whose life inspired discussion and controversy and shaped the America we live in today. This site offers teacher materials and links to exhibition highlights.

In 1913, the International Exhibition of Modern Art (nicknamed the Armory Show) came to New York and forever changed the way Americans thought about art. These materials place this epic exhibit in its historical context in five units: Observing the Urban American Scene; The Spirit of Modernism: A New Way of Looking; The Spirit of the Painting: Expressive Use of Color, Line, and Shape; Modernism in New York, 1913; and Armory Art in the Social Studies Classroom. In total, they contain 40 primary sources, including reproductions of some of the most iconic works from the 1913 Armory Show, as well as documents, photographs, film, music, and ephemera from the time; life stories of influential figures; lesson ideas; and more.

What does it means to be an American? Chinese American: Exclusion/Inclusion explores this question as it chronicles the long and complex history of Chinese Americans in the United States. The exhibition and educational materials highlight more than 200 years of stories form across the nation, many of which connect directly with some of the most compelling themes in American history: immigration, American identity, westward expansion, racism and nativism, the importance of work and workers, and the power of individuals' stories.

The DiMenna Children's History Museum is a great tool for teachers as well as a unique learning opportunity for students. Our curriculum will prepare your students to explore the museum with an understanding of how historians work to help us learn about the past, and highlights a variety of people, eras, and events in New York and American history. Included in the curriculum:

Life stories provide more context, chart the historic figure’s life from child to adult and share key relatable moments from their history that connect to New York and the nation’s history,

Primary sources highlight objects from New-York Historical's collection, support the content in the life stories, and suggest objects for classroom investigation,

Pre- and post-visit activities provide a variety of classroom projects to prepare your students to become history detectives at the DiMenna Children's History Museum, as well as how to extend the museum’s themes into your classroom after your visit.

In 1787, at a time when slavery was crucial to the prosperity and expansion of New York, the New York African Free School was created by the New York Manumission Society, a group dedicated to advocating for the rights of African Americans. What began as a single-room schoolhouse with forty students expanded to educate thousand of children in New York City’s public school system. The New-York Historical Society’s New York African Free School Collection preserves a rich selection of student work and community commentary about the school from the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries and includes lesson plans for the classroom.

This exhibition of letters, newspapers, pamphlets, and portraits documents the lively and dramatic debate over the ratification of the Constitution in New York State. Embedded in the debate was the persistent question of slavery, as well as critical issues of government and rights that are still relevant today. This site includes primary documents and images, as well as interviews with contemporary scholars and lesson plans.

Slavery ended in New York State in 1827, yet this victory did not sever the city's connections to enslaved labor. New York City capitalized on the expanding trade in southern cotton and sugar to become the leading American port, a global financial center, and a hotbed of pro-slavery politics. At the same time, it nurtured a determined anti-slavery movement. New York Divided explores the turbulent half-century of the city's history with southern slavery. These materials include a teachers’ guide, primary sources and Life Stories.

Discover the vital role the Spanish-speaking world played and continues to play in New York City’s trade, politics and culture through investigating artifacts and artwork from the exhibition Nueva York: 1613–1945, organized in collaboration with El Museo del Barrio. These materials include a teachers’ guide, primary sources, Life Stories, and a visual arts unit.

Revolution! The Atlantic World Reborn

Revolution! explores the enormous transformations in the world’s politics that took place from 1763-1815, with particular attention to three globally influential revolutions in America, France, and Haiti. Linking the attack on monarchism and aristocracy to the struggle against slavery, Revolution!shows how freedom, equality, and the sovereignty of the people became universal goals. Activists in these conflicts invented the notions of human rights that still fire the desire for justice everywhere.

Seneca Village

Seneca Village was Manhattan’s first significant community of African American property owners. The village was razed for the construction of Central Park and its history has been largely forgotten. Uncover the story of this 19th century village of free blacks and Irish and German immigrants using the primary source documents provided in this curriculum guide. Divided into seven parts, the guide is arranged so that teachers may choose which kinds of primary sources they wish to approach and in what order. The guide also includes lesson introductions, questions for classroom discussion, a list of key words, and suggested activities.

New York was the capital of American slavery for more than two centuries. These materials explore slavery in New York from the 1600s to 1827, when slavery was legally abolished in New York State. They focus on the rediscovery of the collective and personal experiences of Africans and African Americans in New York City. These curriculum materials include a teachers’ guide, charts and graphs, primary sources, maps, and Life Stories.

Vergara’s Harlem

This curriculum guide introduces the life and work of Camilo José Vergara. Photographing urban communities in American cities, Vergara creates a visual portrait of urban decline and renewal over a span of 40 years, sharing a unique perspective on our relationship to the built environment. Activities in this resource provide educators and students with an opportunity to examine the connections between an individual’s personal story and the way that story can shape and influence one’s life work. We invite you to participate in Vergara’s Harlem and share these images and Vergara’s story with your students.

When World War II broke out, New York was a cosmopolitan, heavily immigrant city whose people had real stakes in the war and strongly held opinions. WWII & NYC explores the war's impact on the metropolis, which played a critical role in the national war effort, and how the city was forever changed. Using primary documents, images, and documentary film clips, your students will discover how wartime changed New York.